Distr.

GENERAL

UNEP/CBD/COP/4/26

7 May 1998

ORIGINAL: ENGLISH

CONFERENCE OF THE PARTIES TO THE

CONVENTION ON BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY

Fourth meeting

Bratislava, 4-15 May 1998

AGENDA FOR THE FOURTH MEETING OF THE

CONFERENCE OF THE PARTIES

1.	Opening of the meeting.

2.	Organizational matters:

2.1	Election of officers;

2.2	Adoption of the agenda;

2.3	Organization of work.

3.	Reports of the regional preparatory meetings.

4.	Report and recommendations of the third meeting of the	Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice, and instructions by the Conference of the Parties to the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice.

4.1	The urgency of needed action on taxonomy.

5.	Pending issues arising from the work of the third meeting of the Conference of the Parties.

6.	Status and trends of the biological diversity of inland water ecosystems and options for conservation and sustainable use.

7.	Reports on programmes of work:

7.1	Jakarta Mandate on marine and coastal biological diversity;

7.2	Agricultural biological diversity;

7.3	Forest biological diversity.

8.	Assessment and review of the operation of the clearing-house mechanism.

9.	Issues related to biosafety.

10.	Implementation of Article 8(j) and related provisions.

11.	Synthesis of information contained in national reports on the implementation of the Convention.

12.	The relationship of the Convention with the Commission on Sustainable Development and biodiversity-related conventions, other international agreements, institutions and processes of relevance:

12.1	Results of the special session of the General Assembly	for the purpose of an overall review and appraisal of the implementation of Agenda 21;

12.2	Cooperation with other agreements, institutions and processes relevant to in situ conservation (Article 8);

12.3	Relationship with international conventions.

13.	Review of the operations of the Convention.

14.	Financial resources and mechanism:

14.1	Memorandum of Understanding between the Conference of the Parties and the Council of the Global Environment Facility;

14.2	Activities of the Global Environment Facility;

14.3	Review of the effectiveness of the financial mechanism;

14.4	Additional financial resources;

14.5	Further guidance to the financial mechanism.

15.	Measures for implementing the Convention:

15.1	Incentive measures: consideration of measures for the implementation of Article 11;

15.2	Public education and awareness: consideration of measures for the implementation of Article 13;

15.3	Impact assessment and minimizing adverse effects: consideration of measures for the implementation of Article 14.

16.	Matters related to benefit-sharing:

16.1	Measures to promote and advance the distribution of benefits from biotechnology in accordance with Article 19	("Handling of Biotechnology and Distribution of Benefits");

16.2	Means to address the fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising out of genetic resources;

16.3	Compilation of views of the Parties on possible options	for developing national legislative, administrative or	policy measures, as appropriate, to implement Article 15	("Access to Genetic Resources").

17.	Administrative and budgetary matters:

17.1	Administration of the Convention;

17.2	Budget of the Trust Fund for the Convention on Biological Diversity.

18.	Report on the credentials of representatives to the fourth meeting of the Conference of the Parties.

19.	Venue and date of the fifth meeting of the Conference of the	Parties.

20.	Other matters.

21.	Adoption of the report.

22.	Closure of the meeting.

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